WWII German motorcycle discovered in the Danube

Record low water levels in the Danube have revealed a nearly intact German Wehrmacht motorcycle, a DKW NZ-350-1, which had been hidden beneath the quay rocks at Batthyány Square in Budapest for 81 years.

Archaeologists and military historians note the exceptional preservation of the vehicle. According to Lieutenant Colonel Norbert Samweber, director of the Military History Archive at the Institute and Museum of Military History, the motorcycle likely belonged to the Feldherrnhalle (FHH) armored division. The vehicle may have entered the unit's inventory around September 1944 during a period of reorganization.

In the immediate vicinity of the motorcycle, investigators also discovered anti-tank mines, ammunition, and the remains of two German soldiers. While identification tags suggest one soldier may have belonged to the 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division and the other to the Wehrmacht, historians believe the soldiers may not have been directly connected to the motorcycle itself.